JP6934375B2 - Cooler - Google Patents

Description

The techniques disclosed herein relate to coolers such as quick coolers that rapidly cool food.

In a cooler such as a quick cooler (so-called blast chiller), the internal fan is rotated at high speed to cool the food rapidly. For this reason, water and oil contained in the food may be scattered on the inner surface of the cooler, the evaporator, the fan in the refrigerator, etc. due to the wind pressure of the fan in the refrigerator. For this reason, in such a cooler, it is common for the user to manually wash the inside of the cooler with water or by using an automatic cleaning function.

By the way, when the inside of the refrigerator is washed, if the moisture remaining in the refrigerator is left as it is, the inside of the refrigerator becomes highly humid, and mold and various germs are likely to grow. Therefore, it is desirable to dry the inside of the refrigerator after cleaning. As a method for drying the inside of the refrigerator, for example, a method is known in which the door of the cooling cabinet is kept slightly open, the heater is energized in that state, and the inside fan is rotated to dry the inside of the refrigerator ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-6032

However, keeping the door open is not always desirable from a hygienic point of view. Further, from the viewpoint of hygiene, it is desirable to close the door after drying, but for that purpose, the user must close the door after the drying is completed, and there is a problem that the work efficiency is poor. Therefore, it is desirable to dry the door with the door closed.
This specification discloses a technique capable of drying the inside of a refrigerator with the door closed at low cost.

The cooler disclosed in the present specification includes a cooler main body having a drainage port for draining the washing water that has washed the inside of the refrigerator, a refrigerating circuit having an evaporator housed in the refrigerator, and a lower side of the drainage port. A drainage pipe connected to the inside, a heater that dries the inside of the refrigerator, an intake pipe for sucking the outside air into the refrigerator when the inside of the refrigerator is dried, and an exhaust pipe for exhausting the water vapor in the refrigerator when the inside of the refrigerator is dried. A control unit that operates the refrigerating circuit to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and a drying operation that energizes the heater to dry the inside of the refrigerator with the refrigerating circuit stopped, and the drainage port. The intake pipe is branched from the drain pipe, and the drain port is shared as an opening inside the refrigerator of the intake pipe.

When the drying operation is performed, the moisture in the refrigerator gradually changes to water vapor due to the rise in the temperature inside the refrigerator. When the water vapor changes to water vapor, the volume expands, so if the drying operation is performed with the door closed, the pressure inside the refrigerator will rise, the water vapor will be exhausted from the exhaust pipe, and the air outside the refrigerator will be discharged from the intake pipe. It is sucked into the refrigerator. As a result, the inside of the refrigerator can be dried with the door closed, resulting in an excellent structure in terms of hygiene. Further, since the user does not have to close the door after drying, the work efficiency is improved.
By the way, when the intake pipe is provided, if the intake pipe is left open, the cold air in the refrigerator leaks from the intake pipe to the outside during the cooling operation, so it is desirable to close the intake pipe during the cooling operation. As a method of opening and closing the intake pipe, it is conceivable to provide an electrically controlled valve such as a solenoid in the intake pipe. However, if an electrically controlled valve is provided, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the cooler increases.
According to the above-mentioned cooler, the drainage port for draining the washing water is shared as an opening inside the intake pipe, so that the cold air from the intake pipe is closed by the opening / closing part that opens and closes the drainage port during the cooling operation. Can be prevented from leaking. On the other hand, during the drying operation, the outside air can be sucked into the refrigerator by opening the drain port by the opening / closing part. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a valve on the intake pipe. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned cooling cabinet, it is possible to dry the inside of the refrigerator with the door closed at low cost.

Further, the opening / closing portion may be a drainage port cap that is attached to the drainage port when cooling the inside of the refrigerator and is removed from the drainage port when the inside of the refrigerator is washed and dried.

As the opening / closing part for opening / closing the drain port, it is also possible to use an electrically controlled valve such as a solenoid. However, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the cooler increases when the electrically controlled valve is used. According to the above-mentioned cooler, since the drainage port is opened and closed by the drainage port cap, the manufacturing cost of the cooler can be suppressed as compared with the case where the drainage port is opened and closed by using a valve.

Further, a condenser fan for cooling the condenser of the refrigeration circuit is provided, an opening on the outside of the refrigerator of the exhaust pipe is arranged on the downstream side of the condenser fan, and the control unit is the condenser during the drying operation. You may run the fan.

Since water vapor is exhausted from the exhaust pipe, the water vapor may cause dew condensation on the walls of the room, which may lead to the generation of rust. According to the above-mentioned cooler, the opening on the outside of the exhaust pipe is arranged on the downstream side of the condenser fan, and the condenser fan is rotated during the drying operation, so that the water vapor exhausted from the exhaust pipe is discharged from the condenser fan. It is diffused by the blast of. As a result, it is possible to prevent dew condensation on the walls and the like in the room.

Further, the cooling cabinet has an overhanging portion protruding from the outer wall surface, and at least one of the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe protrudes from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator, and the at least one of the pipes is said to be said. The portion protruding from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator is a virtual plane parallel to the outer wall surface, and is housed in the space between the virtual plane that contacts the overhanging portion from the opposite side of the outer wall surface and the outer wall surface. It may have been.

Due to the specifications of the cooler, the cooler body may have an overhanging portion protruding from the outer wall surface. In this case, the overhanging portion defines the external dimensions of the outer wall surface side. According to the above-mentioned cooling cabinet, at least one of the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe protrudes from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator, and the portion of the at least one pipe protruding from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator becomes the outer wall surface. Since it is a parallel virtual plane and is housed in the space between the virtual plane that is in contact with the overhanging portion from the opposite side to the outer wall surface and the outer wall surface, at least the outer dimension of the cooler is not increased. One pipe can be provided.

Further, an electric wire is wired along the outer wall surface of the cooling cabinet main body, and the exhaust pipe extends from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator above the electric wire, and from the outer wall surface of the exhaust pipe to the outside of the refrigerator. A cover may be provided to cover at least the lower side of the protruding portion.

According to the above-mentioned cooling cabinet, since the exhaust pipe is provided above the electric wire, it is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring on the electric wire due to the water vapor exhausted from the exhaust pipe. However, in that case, the water vapor condensed on the exhaust pipe may become water droplets and drip onto the electric wire. Alternatively, the dust in the refrigerator blown out from the exhaust pipe may accumulate on the electric wire. According to the above-mentioned cooler, at least the lower side of the exhaust pipe is covered with a cover, which prevents such water droplets from falling on the electric wire and dust blown out from the exhaust pipe from accumulating on the electric wire. can.

Further, the inner diameter of the intake pipe may be larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe.

If the inner diameter of the intake pipe is smaller than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe, the intake pipe may become a bottleneck and the water vapor in the refrigerator cannot be efficiently exhausted. According to the above-mentioned cooler, since the inner diameter of the intake pipe is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe, it is possible to prevent the intake pipe from becoming a bottleneck. As a result, the water vapor in the refrigerator can be efficiently exhausted.

Further, an internal fan for circulating the air cooled by the evaporator is provided, and the control unit operates the internal fan during the cooling operation and the drying operation, and at least during the drying operation. During a part of the period, the internal fan may be rotated in the direction opposite to the cooling operation.

Washed drainage and debris may collect in the drainage pipe. For this reason, if the drainage port is shared as an opening inside the refrigerator of the intake pipe, there is a risk that the foul odor generated by the drainage and dust will be taken into the refrigerator. According to the above cooling chamber, the internal fan is rotated in the direction opposite to the cooling operation during at least a part of the drying operation, so that the internal fan is always in the same direction as the cooling operation (that is, from the intake pipe to the inside of the refrigerator). Compared with the case of rotating in the direction in which the intake air is sucked in), it is possible to prevent the bad odor in the drain pipe from being taken into the refrigerator. Further, according to the above-mentioned cooling chamber, it is possible to have a certain effect on the removal of drainage and dust in the drainage pipe.

Further, the cooling chamber main body is provided with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the refrigerator, and the control unit executes a process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises to a predetermined temperature during the drying operation. You may.

If the drying operation is performed with the drain cap forgotten to be removed, the outside air is not sucked into the refrigerator, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator may rise excessively. According to the above-mentioned cooling chamber, when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises to a predetermined temperature, a process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator is executed, so that it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the refrigerator from rising excessively.
The process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator may be, for example, a process for notifying the user that there is a possibility of forgetting to remove the drain cap, or a process for interrupting (or stopping) the drying operation. You may.

Front view of the cooling cabinet according to the first embodiment (with the heat insulating door removed) Cross-sectional view of the DD line shown in FIG. A cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the area around the drainage port shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC shown in FIG. Sectional view of line BB shown in FIG. Front view of the evaporator case from the right side Sectional view of line AA shown in FIG. Perspective view of drainage pipe and intake pipe An exploded perspective view of the drain trap (excluding rubber members) (A) is a side view of the drain trap holder and the rubber member, and (B) is a top view. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE. Exhaust pipe perspective view Top view of the cooler Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the cooler Flowchart of control processing executed by the control unit during the drying operation Cross-sectional view of the cooler according to the second embodiment FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF. Bottom view of the cooler (A) is a schematic diagram showing the case where the back surface of the cooler is installed so as to be in contact with the indoor wall, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the case where the left and right walls of the cooler are installed so as to be in contact with the indoor wall. figure

<Embodiment 1>
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. In the following description, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are based on the vertical direction and the horizontal direction shown in FIG. 1, and the front-rear direction is based on the front-rear direction shown in FIG.

(1) Overall Configuration of Cooling Cabinet First, the overall configuration of the cooling cabinet 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerator 1 is a rapid refrigerator (so-called blast chiller) that cools cooked high-temperature food to a low temperature such as + 3 ° C. in a short time, and has a vertically long rectangular shape as a whole.

The cooler 1 is a main body 11 (an example of a cooler main body) composed of a heat insulating box body having an open front surface, a heat insulating door 12 (see FIG. 4) that opens and closes the opening of the main body 11, and a machine arranged below the main body 11. It is provided with a chamber 13 and the like, and is supported by four legs 14 arranged on the lower surface of the machine chamber 13.

The heat insulating door 12 (not shown) is connected to the main body 11 by a hinge 15 so as to swing open and close around the left edge when viewed from the front side. A magnet packing is attached to the peripheral edge of the back surface of the heat insulating door 12, and when the heat insulating door 12 is closed, the magnet packing is attracted to the opening edge of the main body 11 to seal the inside of the main body 11.

An opening / closing sensor 16 (see FIG. 14) (not shown) for detecting the opening / closing of the heat insulating door 12 is provided at the opening edge of the main body 11. The open / close sensor 16 is, for example, a proximity sensor. The open / close sensor 16 is not limited to the proximity sensor as long as it can detect the open / close of the heat insulating door 12.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a drain port 17 for draining the washing water (hereinafter, simply referred to as water) that has washed the inside of the refrigerator is provided in the center of the bottom surface of the main body 11, and the main body 11 is provided. The bottom surface of the is a tapered surface that inclines toward the drain port 17. As shown in FIG. 3, a resin drainage port cap 18 (an example of an opening / closing portion) for plugging the drainage port 17 is detachably attached to the drainage port 17 from the inside of the refrigerator. As will be described in detail later, the drain cap 18 is attached by the user when cooling the inside of the refrigerator, and is removed by the user when cleaning and drying the inside of the refrigerator.

As shown in FIG. 1, inside the main body 11 (that is, inside the refrigerator), a multi-stage tray receiver 19 for loading and unloading trays such as hotel bread from the front and a cooling unit 20 for cooling the inside of the refrigerator are housed. ing.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the multi-stage tray receiver 19 is formed by bending and welding a metal rod-shaped member.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the cooling unit 20 is arranged on the left side of the multi-stage tray receiver 19 in the refrigerator, and the wall on the left side in the refrigerator is approximately in the center in the height direction and the front-rear direction of the refrigerator. , The rear wall and the heat insulating door 12 are arranged at a predetermined interval.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling unit 20 includes an evaporator case 21 and a fan case 22.
The left and right sides of the evaporator case 21 are open. As shown in FIG. 2, inside the evaporator case 21, an evaporator 23, a defrosting heater 24, a drying heater 26 (an example of a heater), and an internal thermistor 25 (see FIG. 14, temperature sensor) (not shown). An example) is included. The evaporator 23 cools the inside of the refrigerator by exchanging heat between the refrigerant supplied from the compressor 66 (see FIG. 14), which will be described later, and the air inside the refrigerator, and is arranged in parallel with each other. It has cooling fins and refrigerant pipes that are folded multiple times to penetrate them.

As shown in FIG. 6, the defrosting heater 24 is attached to the cooling fins of the evaporator 23 in a state of being in contact with the cooling fins from the right side (the front side of the paper in FIG. 6). The defrosting heater 24 is for heating the evaporator 23 to melt the frost, and is formed by folding back rod-shaped heating wires in a plurality of manners. As shown in FIG. 6, the defrosting heater 24 includes a first defrosting heater 24A and a second defrosting heater 24B. The defrosting heater 24 may be configured as one heater.

The drying heater 26 is a heater for drying the inside of the refrigerator when the inside of the refrigerator is cleaned, and is in contact with the cooling fins of the evaporator 23 from the right side (front side of the paper in FIG. 6) above the defrosting heater 24. It is installed in the state of being. In other words, the defrosting heater 24 is provided at a position lower than the drying heater 26. The vertical width of the drying heater 26 is narrower than that of the defrosting heater 24. That is, the drying heater 26 has a narrower heating range than the defrosting heater 24. Therefore, the drying heater 26 consumes less power than the defrosting heater 24.

The internal thermistor 25 (not shown) is for detecting the internal temperature, and is arranged on the right side of the defrosting heater 24, for example, inside the evaporator case 21. The position where the internal thermistor 25 is arranged is not limited to this, and can be arranged at any position as long as the internal temperature can be appropriately detected.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fan case 22 is arranged on the right side of the evaporator case 21, and is connected to the evaporator case 21 by a hinge (not shown) so as to swing open and close around the rear side edge. The left and right sides of the fan case 22 are open, and the right side is covered with a wire mesh.
As shown in FIG. 2, inside the fan case 22, two internal fans 28 for circulating the air cooled by the evaporator 23 in the internal chamber are arranged side by side. These internal fans 28 rotate in the direction of blowing wind toward the evaporator 23 when cooling the internal chamber and when drying the internal chamber.

In the following description, the rotation of the internal fan 28 in the direction of sending wind toward the evaporator 23 is referred to as forward rotation. When the internal fan 28 rotates in the forward direction, the air blowing direction of the internal fan 28 is from right to left in FIG. In this case, the pressure is higher on the left side of the internal fan 28 (that is, on the front side in the blowing direction with respect to the internal fan 28), and on the right side of the internal fan 28 (that is, on the rear side in the blowing direction with respect to the internal fan 28). Will be low.

In the present embodiment, regardless of the positions in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, if it is on the left side of the internal fan 28, it is on the front side in the ventilation direction, and if it is on the right side of the internal fan 28, it is on the rear side in the ventilation direction. ..
Further, in the following description, the rotation of the internal fan 28 by the control unit 33 (FIG. 14), which will be described later, is referred to as "operating the internal fan 28". The same applies to the condenser fan 67 (see FIG. 14).

As shown in FIG. 4, a sterilizer 29 for sterilizing the inside of the refrigerator is embedded in the rear wall of the refrigerator. The sterilizer 29 has a box-shaped lamp storage case in which the inside of the refrigerator is open, and an ultraviolet lamp stored in the lamp storage case, and is covered from the inside of the refrigerator by a protective cover. The ultraviolet lamp is turned on after the drying operation, which will be described later, is completed.

In addition, a core temperature sensor 30 (see FIG. 14) (not shown) is also housed in the refrigerator. The core temperature sensor 30 is inserted into the food to detect the temperature of the food when the food is rapidly cooled, and is connected to the main body 11 via a lead wire.

As shown in FIG. 2, the machine room 13 includes a part of the refrigerating circuit 31, a drainage pipe 32, a control unit 33 (see FIG. 14) described later, a power supply unit (not shown) that supplies electric power to each part of the refrigerator 1. It is contained.
The refrigerating circuit 31 is composed of a compressor 66 (see FIG. 14), a condenser, a condenser fan 67 (see FIG. 14), a decompressor (for example, a capillary tube), an evaporator 23, and the like, and these are circulated and connected by piping. Has been done. The compressor 66, the condenser, the condenser fan 67, and the decompressor are housed in the machine room 13, and the evaporator 23 is housed in the evaporator case 21 as described above. The refrigeration circuit 31 may also include a dryer or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the drainage pipe 32 is connected to the drainage port 17 from below. The drainage pipe 32 is for draining the water flowing into the drainage port 17 to the outside of the refrigerator, and is formed by connecting a plurality of resin pipes with a joint. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the drainage pipe 32 extends downward from the drainage port 17 and bends rearward from the rear end of the L-shaped first portion 34 (FIG. 7) and the first portion 34. A second portion 35 (FIGS. 7 and 8) extending slightly downward, a third portion 36 (FIG. 8) extending from the rear end of the second portion 35 to the right, and a third portion 36. A fourth portion 37 (FIGS. 7 and 8) extending forward from the right end of the fourth portion 37 and a fifth portion 38 (FIGS. 7 and 8) extending downward from the front end of the fourth portion 37. Have.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the intake pipe 39 branches from the third portion 36 of the drainage pipe 32. A description of the intake pipe 39 will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a vertical drain trap 40 is provided in the middle of the fifth portion 38. As shown in FIG. 9, the drain trap 40 has a cylindrical portion 41 provided in the middle of the fifth portion 38. A circular opening 43 into which the holder 42 for holding the rubber member 47 shown in FIGS. 10 (A) and 10 (B) is inserted is formed in the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical portion 41. The holder 42 has a flat plate portion 45 in which a circular opening 44 for holding the rubber member 47 is formed, and a circular lid portion 46 that closes the opening 43 of the cylindrical portion 41.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the rubber member 47 has a tubular portion 48 and an opening / closing portion formed so as to narrow the tubular portion 48 downward from both sides. It has 49 and. When water collects in the rubber member 47, the opening / closing part 49 opens due to the weight of the water, and the accumulated water is drained. Is prevented.

As shown in FIG. 7, a drain hose 50 for draining drainage to an indoor drainage ditch or the like is connected to the lower end of the fifth portion 38 of the drainage pipe 32. The drain hose 50 is pulled out from the lower end of the back surface 60 of the cooling chamber 1.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a plate-shaped air guide 51 for directing the wind (exhaust heat) from the condenser fan 67 that cools the condenser upward is provided at the lower end of the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1. It is attached so that it projects diagonally upward. As shown in FIG. 5, the air guide 51 is provided on the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1 over the entire width, and the drain hose 50 is passed through the opening formed in the air guide 51.

As described above, since the air guide 51 projects from the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1, when the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1 is installed facing the indoor wall, the air guide 51 is located between the rear surface 60 and the indoor wall. It is necessary to secure the space for the space. That is, the external dimensions of the cooling cabinet 1 on the back surface 60 side are defined by the air guide 51.

As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 53 is provided at an upper position in front of the machine room 13. The operation panel 53 is provided with an operation unit having various operation buttons and a display unit for displaying various information. By operating the operation buttons, the user can select the operation mode (rapid cooling operation / drying operation, etc.) of the cooling cabinet 1, instruct the start of operation, set the temperature inside the refrigerator, and the like. The current operation mode, the temperature inside the refrigerator, various messages, etc. are displayed on the display unit.

(2) Exhaust pipe and intake pipe As shown in FIG. 11, an exhaust pipe 54 is provided in the upper part of the refrigerator so as to penetrate the rear wall. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the intake pipe 39 branches from the third portion 36 of the drainage pipe 32. These pipes are provided to dry the inside of the refrigerator with the heat insulating door 12 closed after cleaning the inside of the refrigerator. Specifically, the exhaust pipe 54 is for exhausting the water vapor in the refrigerator during the drying operation, and the intake pipe 39 is for sucking the outside air into the refrigerator during the drying operation.

As shown in FIG. 12, the exhaust pipe 54 is formed in an L shape having a horizontal portion 55 and a vertical portion 56 extending upward from the rear end of the horizontal portion 55, and the exhaust pipe 54 is formed in the vertical portion 56. An electromagnetic valve 57 for opening and closing is provided.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, the horizontal portion 55 penetrates the rear wall of the main body 11, and the end portion inside the refrigerator is inserted into the evaporator case 21 of the cooling unit 20. Since the evaporator case 21 is located on the left side of the fan case 22, the opening inside the chamber 55 of the horizontal portion 55 inserted in the evaporator case 21 has a high pressure when the internal fan 28 rotates in the forward direction. It is located in the area of

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the portion of the exhaust pipe 54 that is outside the refrigerator and the solenoid valve 57 are provided with a box-shaped metal exhaust pipe cover 58 (an example of a cover) so that the top, bottom, left, right, and rear sides are separated. being surrounded. That is, at least the lower side of the portion of the exhaust pipe 54 that is outside the refrigerator is covered with the exhaust pipe cover 58. As shown in FIG. 13, an opening 59 for releasing water vapor exhausted from the exhaust pipe 54 is formed in the ceiling wall of the exhaust pipe cover 58, and the opening 59 is covered with a wire mesh. Note that FIG. 7 shows a state in which the exhaust pipe cover 58 is removed.

Here, the reason why the exhaust pipe cover 58 is provided will be described. The internal fan 28, the internal thermistor 25, the core temperature sensor 30, and the like arranged in the internal chamber are connected to the control unit 33 housed in the machine room 13 via electric wires. These electric wires are drawn from the inside of the refrigerator to the back surface 60 side of the cooling cabinet 1, and then wired along the back surface 60 below the exhaust pipe 54 and drawn into the machine room 13. Therefore, if the exhaust pipe cover 58 is not provided, water droplets condensed on the exhaust pipe 54 may drip onto the electric wire. Alternatively, the dust in the refrigerator blown out from the exhaust pipe 54 may accumulate on the electric wire. By providing the exhaust pipe cover 58, it is possible to prevent such water droplets from falling on the electric wire and preventing dust from accumulating on the electric wire.

As shown in FIG. 13, the exhaust pipe cover 58 is a virtual plane 61 parallel to the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1 and is in contact with the air guide 51 from the opposite side (that is, the rear side) to the back surface 60. It is housed between 60 and 60. That is, the exhaust pipe cover 58 is contained within the external dimensions defined by the air guide 51.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the intake pipe 39 extends upward from the upper end of the first portion 62 and the first portion 62 extending diagonally to the upper right from the third portion 36 of the drain pipe 32. It has a second portion 63 and the like. As shown in FIG. 7, a pipe hole (not shown) through which the intake pipe 39 is passed is formed in the machine room 13, and the first portion 62 is passed through the pipe hole and extends out of the machine room 13. .. The intake pipe 39 is partially shared with the drain pipe 32, and the drain port 17 provided on the bottom surface of the refrigerator also serves as an opening inside the refrigerator of the intake pipe 39.
Here, as shown in FIG. 2, since the drain port 17 in the refrigerator (that is, the opening inside the refrigerator of the intake pipe 39) is located on the right side of the fan 28 in the refrigerator, the opening inside the refrigerator pipe 39. Is located in a region where the pressure becomes low when the internal fan 28 rotates in the forward direction.

The inner diameters of the drainage pipe 32 and the intake pipe 39 are larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 54. The reason for this is that if the inner diameters of the drainage pipe 32 and the intake pipe 39 are smaller than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 54, the drainage pipe 32 and the intake pipe 39 become bottlenecks during the drying operation described later, and the water vapor in the refrigerator is made efficient. This is because there is a risk that it will not be able to exhaust well.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 13, a portion of the intake pipe 39 that is outside the refrigerator is also covered with a box-shaped metal intake pipe cover 64. As shown in FIG. 13, an opening 65 is formed in the ceiling wall of the intake pipe cover 64, and the opening 65 is covered with a wire mesh. The intake pipe cover 64 is also housed between the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1 and the virtual plane 61 described above.

(3) Electrical Configuration of Coolant As shown in FIG. 14, the cooler 1 includes a control unit 33. The control unit 33 includes a CPU 33A, a ROM 33B, a RAM 33C, and the like, and includes a compressor 66, a condenser fan 67, an internal fan 28, a defrosting heater 24, a drying heater 26, an electromagnetic valve 57 of an exhaust pipe 54, and an internal chamber. The thermistor 25, the core temperature sensor 30, the open / close sensor 16, the operation panel 53, and the like are connected. The control unit 33 (more specifically, the CPU) controls each unit of the cooling cabinet 1 by executing a control program stored in the ROM.

The control unit 33 may be provided with an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like in place of the CPU 33A or in addition to the CPU 33A.

(4) Operation mode of the cooler The operation mode of the cooler 1 is broadly divided into a rapid cooling operation (an example of a cooling operation), a defrosting operation, and a drying operation. Hereinafter, each operation mode will be described.

(4-1) Rapid cooling operation Rapid cooling operation is an operation mode in which cooked hot food is rapidly cooled. The rapid cooling operation is started when the user holds the tray containing the food in the multi-stage tray receiver 19 and then operates the operation unit of the operation panel 53 to instruct the start of the rapid cooling operation. Here, when instructing the start of the rapid cooling operation, the user shall instruct the start after attaching the drainage port cap 18 to the drainage port 17.

In the rapid cooling operation, the control unit 33 controls the refrigerating circuit 31, the internal fan 28, the solenoid valve 57 of the exhaust pipe 54, the defrosting heater 24, and the drying heater 26 as follows.
Refrigeration circuit 31 = Operation Fan 28 in the refrigerator = Operation (forward rotation)
Solenoid valve 57 of exhaust pipe 54 = Close Defrosting heater 24 = Not energized Drying heater 26 = Not energized

As shown by the arrow line in FIG. 5, in the rapid cooling operation, the air in the refrigerator is sucked into the cooling unit 20 by the rotation of the fan 28 in the refrigerator, cooled by the evaporator 23, and the back side of the cooling unit 20 ( It is blown out from the left side in FIG. 5). The blown air hits the left wall of the main body 11, is divided into a front side and a rear side, wraps around to the right side, and then is sucked into the cooling unit 20 through a tray or the like. As a result, cold air circulates in the refrigerator and the food is cooled rapidly. It is also possible to rotate only the internal fan 28 to perform the ventilation operation.

The control unit 33 monitors the temperature of the food by the core temperature sensor 30 when the rapid cooling operation is started, and ends the rapid cooling operation when the food is cooled to a predetermined temperature. The conditions for ending the rapid cooling operation are not limited to this. For example, the rapid cooling operation may be ended after a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of the rapid cooling operation. Further, the cold insulation operation may be started after the rapid cooling operation is completed.

(4-2) Defrosting operation The defrosting operation is an operation mode for defrosting the evaporator 23. The defrosting operation is started when the user operates the operation panel 53 to instruct the start of the defrosting operation while the operation of the cooling chamber 1 is stopped (in other words, waiting).

In the defrosting operation, the control unit 33 controls the refrigerating circuit 31, the internal fan 28, the solenoid valve 57 of the exhaust pipe 54, the defrosting heater 24, and the drying heater 26 as follows.
Refrigeration circuit 31 = Stop Fan 28 in the refrigerator = Operation (forward rotation)
Solenoid valve 57 of exhaust pipe 54 = Close Defrost heater 24 = Energize Drying heater 26 = Do not energize

In the defrosting operation, the refrigerating circuit 31 is stopped and the defrosting heater 24 is energized, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator rises. When the control unit 33 starts the defrosting operation, the internal thermistor 25 monitors the internal temperature, and when the internal temperature rises to a predetermined defrosting end temperature, the internal defrosting operation ends. The conditions for terminating the defrosting operation are not limited to this, and can be appropriately determined.

(4-3) Drying operation The drying operation is an operation mode in which the inside of the refrigerator is dried when the inside of the refrigerator is washed. The drying operation is started when the user operates the operation panel 53 after cleaning the inside of the refrigerator to instruct the start of the drying operation.
Here, the user removes the drain cap 18 to drain the washed water when cleaning the inside of the refrigerator, and keeps the drain cap 18 removed for ventilation even when the inside of the refrigerator is dried. And. Further, when instructing the start of the drying operation, the user shall instruct the start after closing the heat insulating door 12.

In the drying operation, the control unit 33 controls the refrigerating circuit 31, the internal fan 28, the solenoid valve 57 of the exhaust pipe 54, the defrosting heater 24, and the drying heater 26 as follows.
Refrigeration circuit 31 = Stop Fan 28 in the refrigerator = Operation (forward rotation)
Solenoid valve 57 of exhaust pipe 54 = Open Defrosting heater 24 = Not energized Drying heater 26 = Energized

When the drying heater 26 is energized and the internal fan 28 is rotated in the forward direction, warm air is sent out into the internal chamber to raise the internal temperature and the moisture in the internal chamber gradually changes to steam. When the water vapor changes to water vapor, the volume expands. Therefore, if the drying operation is performed with the heat insulating door 12 closed, the pressure inside the refrigerator rises, the water vapor is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 54, and the water vapor is exhausted from the intake pipe 39. The outside air is sucked inside. As a result, the inside of the refrigerator can be dried while the heat insulating door 12 is closed.

However, since the amount of exhaust air and the amount of intake air are usually small, it takes time to dry. However, as described above, in the cooling chamber 1, the opening inside the chamber of the exhaust pipe 54 is arranged on the front side in the ventilation direction (that is, the region where the pressure is high) of the fan 28 in the chamber, so that the high pressure promotes the exhaust of water vapor. Is done. Further, since the opening inside the refrigerator (that is, the drain port 17) of the intake pipe 39 is arranged on the rear side (that is, the region where the pressure is low) of the fan 28 in the refrigerator in the blowing direction, the intake pipe 39 is sucked by the low pressure (that is, the negative pressure). Is prompted. As a result, the amount of exhaust air and the amount of intake air can be increased, ventilation in the refrigerator is promoted, and the time required for drying can be shortened.

Next, with reference to FIG. 15, the control process executed by the control unit 33 during the drying operation will be described. This process is started when the user operates the operation panel 53 to instruct the start of the drying operation.
In S101, the control unit 33 detects whether or not the heat insulating door 12 is closed by the open / close sensor 16, proceeds to S102 if it is closed, and ends this process without starting the drying operation if it is open. .. The reason why the drying operation is not started when the heat insulating door 12 is open is that it is dangerous for the user to start the drying operation when the heat insulating door 12 is open because the internal fan 28 is rotated in the drying operation.

When the heat insulating door 12 is open, the control unit 33 may execute a process of urging the user to close the heat insulating door 12. The process of urging the user to close the heat insulating door 12 may be performed, for example, by displaying a message prompting the user to close the heat insulating door 12 on the display unit of the operation panel 53, or by emitting a predetermined notification sound. It may be done by turning on or blinking a light source such as an LED.

In S102, the control unit 33 starts the drying operation.
In S103, the control unit 33 detects the temperature inside the refrigerator by the thermistor 25 inside the refrigerator, proceeds to S104 when the temperature inside the refrigerator is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, and proceeds to S105 when the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature. For example, if the drying operation is performed with the drain cap 18 forgotten to be removed, the temperature inside the refrigerator may rise excessively due to the fact that the outside air is not sucked into the refrigerator, and the temperature may exceed the predetermined temperature described above. In that case, it is determined in S103 that the temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature.

In S104, the control unit 33 executes a process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator. Specifically, for example, the control unit 33 notifies the user that the drain cap 18 is still attached. Notification to the user can be performed by an appropriate method. For example, it may be performed by displaying a message prompting the user to remove the drain cap 18 on the display unit, by emitting a predetermined notification sound, or lighting (or blinking) a light source such as an LED. It may be done by letting.

When the control unit 33 executes the process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator, the control unit 33 ends this process, and the user instructs the start of the drying operation again after removing the drain cap 18.
The process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator is not limited to the process of notifying the user that the drain cap 18 is still attached, and may be, for example, a process of interrupting the drying operation. When the drying operation is interrupted, the drying operation may be restarted after the temperature inside the refrigerator has dropped to some extent.

In S105, the control unit 33 determines whether or not a certain time has elapsed since the start of the drying operation, and if a certain time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S106, and if not, the process returns to S103 and repeats the process. .. The user can appropriately set this fixed time.
In S106, the control unit 33 ends the drying operation, controls the solenoid valve 57, and closes the exhaust pipe 54.
In S107, the control unit 33 turns on the ultraviolet lamp for a certain period of time for sterilization, and then turns off the power of the cooling cabinet 1.

(5) Effect of the Embodiment According to the cooling chamber 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the drainage port 17 for draining the washing water is shared as an opening inside the chamber of the intake pipe 39, so that the drainage port is shared during the cooling operation. By closing the drain port 17 by the opening / closing portion (that is, the drain port cap 18) that opens and closes the 17, it is possible to prevent cold air from leaking from the intake pipe 39. On the other hand, during the drying operation, the outside air can be sucked into the refrigerator from the intake pipe 39 by opening the drain port 17 by the opening / closing portion. Therefore, the intake pipe 39 does not have to be provided with a valve. Therefore, according to the cooling cabinet 1, it is possible to dry the inside of the cabinet with the heat insulating door 12 closed at low cost.

Further, according to the cooling cabinet 1, since the opening / closing portion is a removable drainage port cap 18 that plugs the drainage port 17, the manufacturing cost of the cooling cabinet 1 is lower than that in the case of opening / closing the drainage port 17 using a valve. Can be suppressed.

Further, according to the cooling cabinet 1, the portion of the intake pipe 39 and the exhaust pipe 54 protruding from the back surface 60 of the cooling cabinet 1 is a virtual plane 61 parallel to the back surface 60, and the air guide 51 has the back surface 60. Is housed in the space between the virtual plane 61 and the back surface 60 which are in contact with each other from the opposite side, so that the intake pipe 39 and the exhaust pipe 54 can be provided without increasing the external dimensions of the cooling chamber 1.

Further, according to the cooling chamber 1, at least the lower side of the exhaust pipe 54 is covered with the exhaust pipe cover 58, so that the water vapor condensed on the exhaust pipe 54 becomes water droplets and drips onto the electric wire, and dust is on the electric wire. It is possible to prevent the accumulation of water vapor.

Further, according to the cooling cabinet 1, since the inner diameter of the intake pipe 39 is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 54, it is possible to prevent the intake pipe 39 from becoming a bottleneck. As a result, the water vapor in the refrigerator can be efficiently exhausted.

Further, according to the cooling chamber 1, when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises to a predetermined temperature during the drying operation, a process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator is executed, so that it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the refrigerator from rising excessively. ..

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the second embodiment will be described.
There is a possibility that washed drainage and dust may accumulate in the drainage pipe 32. Therefore, if the drain port 17 is shared as an opening inside the refrigerator of the intake pipe 39, there is a possibility that the foul odor generated by the drainage and dust during the drying operation is taken into the refrigerator.

Therefore, the control unit 33 according to the second embodiment reversely rotates the internal fan 28 during at least a part of the drying operation. In this way, it is possible to prevent the malodor in the drain pipe 32 from being taken into the refrigerator as compared with the case where the fan 28 in the refrigerator is constantly rotated in the forward direction during the drying operation. Further, it is possible to have a certain effect on the removal of drainage and dust in the drainage pipe 32.

The above-mentioned "at least a part of the period during the drying operation" may be, for example, during, after, or both of the temperature rise in the refrigerator. Specifically, in the drying operation, the temperature inside the refrigerator is raised to a preset temperature by energizing the drying heater 26. "During temperature rise" is the period from when the drying heater 26 is energized until the temperature inside the refrigerator reaches the preset temperature, and "after temperature rise" means that the temperature inside the refrigerator is the constant temperature. It is the period from when the temperature rises to the end of the drying operation.

The period during the drying operation is not limited to the period from the viewpoint of temperature such as "during temperature rise" or "after temperature rise", and can be arbitrarily determined. For example, the internal fan 28 may be rotated in the reverse direction for a certain period of time after the start of the drying operation regardless of the internal temperature, or the forward rotation and the reverse rotation may be alternately switched at regular time intervals during the drying operation. good.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19.
The cooler 201 according to the third embodiment is also a blast chiller that cools food in a short time as in the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 16, the cooling cabinet 201 is a horizontally long so-called table type, and the machine room 213 is arranged on the left side of the main body 211 (an example of the cooling cabinet main body). Similar to the first embodiment, a multi-stage tray receiver 219, a cooling unit 220, and the like are housed in the main body 211, and a refrigerating circuit 231 and the like are housed in the machine room 213.

As shown in FIG. 17, the condenser fan 225 is arranged in the machine room 213 on the front side of the condenser 224, and blows wind toward the condenser 224. Therefore, the side after the condenser fan 225 is the downstream side of the condenser fan 225.
As shown in FIG. 18, the cooling cabinet 201 also has a drainage pipe 232 under the main body 211, and a drain trap 240 is provided on the drainage pipe 232. However, as shown in FIG. 16, since there is not enough space between the lower surface of the main body 211 and the floor surface in the room to use the vertical drain trap 40 of the first embodiment, the cooler 201 is of the horizontal type. A drain trap 240 is used.

Due to the specifications of the horizontal drain trap 240, the drain pipe 232 cannot be completely closed unless a certain amount of drainage is collected. There is a risk of taking in a foul odor into the refrigerator. Therefore, in the cooling cabinet 201, the relationship between the exhaust pipe 254 (see FIGS. 17 and 18) and the intake pipe 239 (see FIG. 16) is opposite to that of the first embodiment, and the internal fan is always reversed during the drying operation. Rotate. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

As shown in FIG. 16, the intake pipe 239 penetrates the wall on the left side and the rear side of the refrigerator and on the left side near the bottom surface, and the opening inside the refrigerator is arranged on the left side of the evaporator 223. That is, the opening inside the refrigerator of the intake pipe 239 is located on the rear side in the blowing direction of the fan inside the refrigerator that rotates in the reverse direction. The portion of the intake pipe 239 housed in the machine room 213 is bent 90 degrees upward and then 90 degrees forward. Further, a solenoid valve for opening and closing the intake pipe 239 is provided in a portion of the intake pipe 239 housed in the machine room 213.

As shown in FIG. 18, the drainage pipe 232 is arranged on the lower surface of the cooling cabinet 201, and one end thereof is connected to the drainage port 217. Further, the drain trap 240 described above is provided in the drain pipe 232.
The exhaust pipe 254 branches from the drain pipe 232, and the drain port 217 is shared as an opening inside the refrigerator of the exhaust pipe 254. The exhaust pipe 254 extends toward the machine room 213 along the lower surface of the main body 211, and then is bent 90 degrees upward and inserted into the machine room 213 as shown in FIG.

As described above, the opening of the intake pipe 239 inside the refrigerator is located on the rear side (that is, the part where the pressure becomes low) of the fan in the refrigerator that rotates in the reverse direction. Air is sucked into the refrigerator from the intake pipe 239 by (that is, negative pressure).
On the other hand, the drain port 217 provided on the bottom surface of the main body 211 is located on the right side of the internal fan. That is, the drain port 217 is located on the front side (that is, the portion where the pressure is high) in the air blowing direction of the counter-rotating internal fan. Therefore, when the internal fan is rotated in the reverse direction, the high pressure causes the water vapor in the internal chamber to be exhausted from the drain port 217 (that is, the opening inside the internal chamber of the exhaust pipe 254) into the machine room 213 via the exhaust pipe 254. In this way, since a part of the drainage pipe 232 is shared not as the intake pipe 239 but as the exhaust pipe 254, it is possible to suppress the introduction of bad odor from the drainage ditch into the refrigerator during the drying operation.

Further, the control unit 33 according to the third embodiment operates the condenser fan 225 during the drying operation. The reason for this will be described below with reference to FIG.
FIG. 19A shows a case where the back surface of the cooling cabinet 201 is installed so as to be in contact with the wall 227 in the room (or the wall of the arrangement arranged after the cooling cabinet 201). Further, FIG. 19B shows a case where the left and right walls of the cooling cabinet 201 are installed so as to be in contact with the walls 227 in the room (or the walls of the arrangements arranged on the left and right of the cooling cabinet 201). In such a case, the water vapor exhausted from the exhaust pipe 254 may cause dew condensation on the walls 227 and the like in the room, which may lead to the occurrence of rust. When the condenser fan 225 is rotated during the drying operation, the water vapor exhausted in the machine room 213 can be diffused, so that dew condensation on the walls and the like in the room can be suppressed.

<Other embodiments>
The techniques disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope disclosed herein.

(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the portion of the intake pipe 39 and the exhaust pipe 54 protruding from the back surface 60 to the outside of the refrigerator is housed in the space between the back surface 60 and the virtual plane 61 has been described as an example. The portion protruding from the back surface 60 of either one or both of the pipe 39 and the exhaust pipe 54 does not necessarily have to be housed in the space.

(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the exhaust pipe 54 is covered with the box-shaped exhaust pipe cover 58 has been described as an example, but the exhaust pipe cover 58 is not necessarily formed in a box shape as long as it covers at least the lower side. It does not have to be.

(3) In the above embodiment, a case where a pipe hole for passing the intake pipe 39 is formed in the machine room 13 has been described as an example, but the pipe hole may not necessarily be formed. In that case, air is sucked from the machine room 13.

(4) In the above embodiment, the case where the inner diameter of the intake pipe 39 is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 54 has been described as an example, but the inner diameter of the intake pipe 39 does not necessarily have to be larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 54. For example, when the intake pipe 39 has an inner diameter that does not become a bottleneck when exhausting water vapor from the exhaust pipe 54, the inner diameter of the intake pipe 39 may be smaller than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 54.

(5) In the above embodiment, in the drying operation, whether or not the drainage port cap 18 is attached is indirectly determined by determining whether or not the temperature inside the refrigerator is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature. Explained in the example. On the other hand, a sensor for detecting whether or not the drain cap 18 is attached may be provided, and the determination may be made using the sensor.

(6) In the above embodiment, the drain cap 18 has been described as an example of the opening / closing part, but the opening / closing part may be an electrically controlled valve such as a solenoid.

(7) In the above embodiment, the case where the internal fan 28 is rotated during the rapid cooling operation and the drying operation has been described as an example, but the internal fan 28 may not be rotated during these operations.

(8) In the third embodiment, the case where the condenser fan 225 is rotated during the drying operation has been described as an example, but the condenser fan 225 does not necessarily have to be rotated during the drying operation. For example, if a space can be secured between the rear and left and right sides of the cooling cabinet 201 and the wall in the room, the condenser fan 225 does not have to be rotated.

1 ... Cooler, 11 ... Main body (an example of a cooler main body), 17 ... Drain port, 18 ... Drain port cap (an example of an opening / closing part), 23 ... Evaporator, 25 ... Internal thermista (an example of a temperature sensor), 26 ... Drying heater (an example of a heater), 28 ... Internal fan, 31 ... Refrigeration circuit, 32 ... Drainage pipe, 33 ... Control unit, 39 ... Intake pipe, 51 ... Air guide (an example of overhanging part), 54 ... Exhaust pipe, 58 ... Exhaust pipe cover (example of cover), 60 ... Back surface (example of outer wall surface), 201 ... Cooler, 211 ... Main body (example of cooler body), 217 ... Drainage port, 223 ... Evaporator , 224 ... Condenser, 225 ... Condenser fan, 227 ... Wall, 231 ... Refrigeration circuit, 232 ... Drainage pipe, 239 ... Intake pipe, 254 ... Exhaust pipe

Claims (8)

The main body of the cooling cabinet, which has a drainage port for draining the washing water that has washed the inside of the cabinet,
A refrigeration circuit with an evaporator housed in the refrigerator,
The drainage pipe connected to the underside of the drainage port and
A heater that dries the inside of the refrigerator and
An intake pipe for sucking outside air into the refrigerator when the inside is dry,
An exhaust pipe for exhausting water vapor inside the refrigerator when it dries,
A control unit that operates a cooling circuit to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and a drying operation that energizes the heater to dry the inside of the refrigerator with the refrigeration circuit stopped.
An opening / closing part that opens / closes the drainage port and
With
A cooling cabinet in which the intake pipe branches from the drainage pipe, and the drainage port is shared as an opening inside the chamber of the intake pipe. The cooler according to claim 1.
The opening / closing portion is a drainage port cap that is attached to the drainage port when cooling the inside of the refrigerator and is removed from the drainage port when the inside of the refrigerator is cleaned and dried. The cooler according to claim 1 or 2.
A condenser fan for cooling the condenser of the refrigeration circuit is provided.
An opening on the outside of the exhaust pipe is arranged on the downstream side of the condenser fan.
The control unit is a cooling cabinet that operates the condenser fan during the drying operation. The cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The cooler has an overhanging part that overhangs from the outer wall surface.
At least one of the intake pipe and the exhaust pipe protrudes from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator, and a portion of the at least one pipe protruding from the outer wall surface to the outside of the refrigerator is a virtual plane parallel to the outer wall surface. A cooling cabinet that is housed in a space between a virtual plane that is in contact with the overhanging portion from the side opposite to the outer wall surface and the outer wall surface. The cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
Electric wires are wired along the outer wall surface of the cooler body.
The exhaust pipe protrudes from the outer wall surface above the electric wire to the outside of the refrigerator.
A cooling cabinet provided with a cover that covers at least the lower side of a portion of the exhaust pipe that protrudes from the outer wall surface. The cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A cooler in which the inner diameter of the intake pipe is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe. The cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
It is provided with an internal fan that circulates the air cooled by the evaporator in the internal chamber.
The control unit operates the internal fan during the cooling operation and the drying operation, and rotates the internal fan in a direction opposite to the cooling operation during at least a part of the drying operation. Warehouse. The cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature inside the cooling chamber body is provided.
The control unit executes a process for lowering the temperature inside the refrigerator when the temperature inside the refrigerator rises to a predetermined temperature during the drying operation.

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